Vegetable Miso Soup

12 February 2010 No Comment

After enjoying a hearty and utterly flavourful soup at a local vegan Asian-inspired restaurant, I just had to create my own recipe for those days when I crave comfort food. My version has more veggies, but the broth is so tasty that you can add as little or as much vegetables as you have on hand. The combination of kombu (a sea vegetable) and wild mushrooms creates a delicious soup base on which to build your own masterpiece. If you don’t like mushrooms, you can still add them as a flavouring and discard them afterward; just add the mushroom water and mushrooms to the kombu-flavoured water and before adding the remainder of the veggies, and cook for at least 20-25 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and proceed with the rest of the recipe by adding the remaining ingredients and cook as directed.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 pkg. (0.88 ounces or 25 g) dried wild mushrooms
1 3/4 cups water (for soaking mushrooms)
10 cups water (for the broth)
4 strips kombu (a sea vegetable available at health food stores or Asian markets)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
2/3 cups miso paste
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegan sugar

To Make the Soup

In a small bowl, soak the mushrooms in the 1 3/4 cups water for 10 minutes, or until soft. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Strain the mushroom water through cheesecloth to remove any gritty residue from soaking the mushrooms. Set strained water aside.

Pour the 10 cups of water into a large pot. Add the kombu, cover with a lid and bring to a boil for 4 minutes. Remove the kombu and discard.

Add the strained mushroom water, mushrooms, carrots, onion, cabbage, miso paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt and sugar to the kombu-flavoured water. Cover pot with a lid and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently during cooking.